The Charlotte & William Bloomberg Medford Public Library
April, 15 2025 16:27:59
When Clouds Touch Us
By Lai, ThanhhÃ
Inspired by the author's own childhood, this stunning novel in verse, sequel to the award-winning #1 bestseller Inside Out and Back Again, picks up two years after Hà and her family arrive in Alabama as refugees from the Việt Nam War.Hà and her family have worked hard to make a life for themselves in the US, but it hasn't come easy. Hà has only just started to feel settled when Mother decides that the family will move to Texas for a new job. Hà knows how hard starting over is and doesn't want to have to do it again. But sometimes even an unwanted change can bring opportunity, new friends, and a place to call home. This lyrical and compelling sequel to the National Book Award Medalist and Newbery Honor winning, #1 New York Times bestselling novel Inside Out and Back Again follows Hà and her family through another year of upheaval, growth, and love.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780063047006
|
Hardcover
Clouds over California
By Parsons, Karyn
My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich meets One Crazy Summer in this moving and heartfelt novel about how one girl's family and friendships are turned upside down, just as the world is changing in 1970s Los Angeles - from the author of the highly acclaimed How High the Moon.. Stevie's life is fluctuating rapidly. She's starting over in a brand new middle school. Quiet and observant, it's hard for her to make friends. Plus, her mind is too occupied. The tension in her home is building as her parents' arguments are becoming more frequent. To top it all off, Stevie's older cousin Naomi is coming to live with the family in an attempt to keep her from a "bad" crowd - The Black Panthers.. Stevie agrees to keep Naomi's secrets. She's the cool big cousin, after all, and Stevie can't help but notice the happy, positive effect the Black Panthers are having on Naomi's confidence and identity - just like how Mom is making decisions for herself, even when Dad disapproves.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780316484077
|
Hardcover
The Journal of Anxious Izzy Parker
By Fullerton, Alma
Eight-year-old Izzy Parker's biggest problem is feeling anxious and afraid. Her mom's decision to move them across the country to Prince Edward Island didn't help. Izzy worries she will say the wrong thing or laugh at the wrong time, and none of the kids will want to be her friend. Sometimes, it's so hard to be Izzy that she can't breathe.In her honest, awkward, and anxious journal, Izzy writes down the story of her life and how she is trying to be a little less afraid. The good news: things might not be as bad as they seem. Even better? They will soon have a small, furry new family member -- an emotional support dog named Gandalf!
Publisher: n/a
|
9781772603163
|
Paperback
Simon Sort of Says
By Bow, Erin
For fans of Kate DiCamillo and Jack Gantos, a hilarious, wrenching, hopeful novel about finding your friends, healing your heart, and speaking your truth.Simon O'Keeffe's biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. Or maybe the alpaca disaster that went viral on YouTube. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he'd do anything to forget: the story in which he's the only kid in his class who survived a school shooting. Two years after the infamous event, twelve-year-old Simon and his family move to the National Quiet Zone -- the only place in America where the internet is banned. Instead of talking about Simon, the astronomers who flock to the area are busy listening for signs of life in space.
Publisher: n/a
|
9781368082853
|
Hardcover
Not Quite a Ghost
By Ursu, Anne
From the award-winning author of The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy comes an unforgettable and deeply personal story of the ghosts that surround us - and the ones we carry inside.The house seemed to sit apart from the others on Katydid Street, silent and alone, like it didn't fit among them. For Violet Hart - whose family is about to move into the house on Katydid Street - very little felt like it fit anymore. Like their old home, suddenly too small since her mother remarried and the new baby arrived. Or Violet's group of friends, which, since they started middle school, isn't enough for Violet's best friend, Paige. Everything seemed to be changing at once. But sometimes, Violet tells herself, change is okay.That is, until Violet sees her new room.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780062275158
|
Hardcover
The Year I Flew Away
By Arnold, Marie
It's 1985 and ten-year-old Gabrielle is excited to be moving from Haiti to America. Unfortunately, her parents won't be able to join her yet and she'll be living in a place called Brooklyn, New York, with relatives she has never met. She promises her parents that she will behave, but life proves to be difficult in the United States, from learning the language to always feeling like she doesn't fit in to being bullied. So when a witch offers her a chance to speak English perfectly and be "American," she makes the deal. But soon she realizes how much she has given up by trying to fit in and, along with her two new friends (one of them a talking rat) , takes on the witch in an epic battle to try to reverse the spell. Gabrielle is a funny and engaging heroine you won't soon forget in this sweet and lyrical novel that's perfect for fans of Hurricane Child and Front Desk.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780358272755
|
Hardcover
The House That Wasn't There
By Arnold, Elana K.
Award-winning author Elana K. Arnold returns with an unforgettable story of the strange, wondrous threads that run between all of us, whether we know they're there or not. Alder has always lived in his cozy little house in Southern California. And for as long as he can remember, the old, reliable, comforting walnut tree has stood between his house and the one next door. That is, until a new family - with a particularly annoying girl his age - moves into the neighboring house and, without warning, cuts it down. Oak doesn't understand why her family had to move to Southern California. She has to attend a new school, find new friends, and live in a new house that isn't even ready - her mother had to cut down a tree on their property line in order to make room for a second floor.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780062937063
|
Hardcover
The Turtle of Michigan
By Nye, Naomi Shihab
Aref is excited for his journey to reunite with his father in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Aref makes a friend on an airplane, wonders what Michigan will be like, and starts school in the United States. While he does miss his grandfather, his Sidi, Aref knows that his home in Oman will always be waiting for him.
Award-winning author Naomi Shihab Nye’s highly anticipated sequel to The Turtle of Oman explores immigration, family, and what it means to feel at home. Carrying a suitcase and memories of Oman, Aref experiences the excitement and nervousness that accompanies moving to a new home. The Turtle of Michigan is a great choice for reading aloud and a must-have for younger middle grade readers.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780063014169
|
Hardcover
A Song Called Home
By Zarr, Sara
From award-winning author Sara Zarr comes a story of the small moments that show us who we are, and how family is not just something you're part of, but something you make.Lou and her family don't have much, but for Lou it's enough. Mom. Her sister, Casey. Their apartment in the city. Her best friend, Beth. It would be better if Dad could stop drinking and be there for her and Casey, and if they didn't have to worry about money all the time. But Lou doesn't need better - she only needs enough.What's enough for Lou, however, is not enough for Mom. Steve, Mom's boyfriend, isn't a bad guy, he's just ... not what Lou is used to. And now, he and Mom are getting married, and that means moving. Packing up life as they've known it and storing it in Steve's garage.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780063044920
|
Hardcover
Long Lost
By West, Jacqueline
Once there were two sisters who did everything together. But only one of them disappeared. New York Times-bestselling author Jacqueline West's Long Lost is an atmospheric, eerie mystery brimming with suspense. Fans of Katherine Arden's Small Spaces and Victoria Schwab's City of Ghosts series will lose themselves in this mesmerizing and century-spanning tale.Eleven-year-old Fiona has just read a book that doesn't exist.When Fiona's family moves to a new town to be closer to her older sister's figure skating club - and far from Fiona's close-knit group of friends - nobody seems to notice Fiona's unhappiness. Alone and out of place, Fiona ventures to the town's library, a rambling mansion donated by a long-dead heiress. And there she finds a gripping mystery novel about a small town, family secrets, and a tragic disappearance.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780062691750
|
Hardcover
The Many Meanings of Meilan
By Wang, Andrea
Meilan Hua's world is made up of a few key ingredients: her family's beloved matriarch, Nai Nai; the bakery her parents, aunts, and uncles own and run in Boston's Chinatown; and her favorite Chinese fairy tales. After Nai Nai passes, the family has a falling-out that sends Meilan, her parents, and her grieving grandfather on the road in search of a new home. They take a winding path across the country before landing in Redbud, Ohio. Everything in Redbud is the opposite of Chinatown, and Meilan's not quite sure who she is--being renamed at school only makes it worse. She decides she is many Meilans, each inspired by a different Chinese character with the same pronunciation as her name. Sometimes she is Mist, cooling and invisible; other times, she's Basket, carrying her parents' hopes and dreams and her guilt of not living up to them; and occasionally she is bright Blue, the way she feels around her new friend Logan.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780593111284
|
Hardcover
The International House of Dereliction
By Davies, Jacqueline
In this not-so-scary ghost story from Jacqueline Davies, bestselling author of the Lemonade War series, quirky, tool-wielding Alice Cannoli-Potchnik begins to repair the dilapidated mansion next door - only to discover the old house is home to ghosts, and they need mending, too!Ho
Publisher: n/a
|
9780063258099
|
Leaving Lymon
By Cline-ransome, Lesa
A companion novel to Finding Langston, recipient of a Coretta Scott King Writing Honor and winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Behind every bad boy is a story worth hearing and at least one chance for redemption. It's 1946 and Lymon, uprooted from his life in the Deep South and moved up North, needs that chance. Lymon's father is, for the time being, at Parchman Farm--the Mississippi State Penitentiary--and his mother, whom he doesn't remember all that much, has moved North. Fortunately, Lymon is being raised by his loving grandparents. Together, Lymon and his grandpops share a love of music, spending late summer nights playing the guitar. But Lymon's world as he knows it is about to dissolve. He will be sent on a journey to two Northern cities far from the country life he loves--and the version of himself he knows.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780823446339
|
Hardcover
Kodi
By Cullum, Jared
The gorgeous story of two friends separated by everything in the world -- except love. Readers and animal-lovers of every age will want to relive this journey over and over again.Katya and her Meema are spending another summer at their cottage in Alaska, when a chance accident leaves Katya face-to-face with the biggest creature she's ever seen... an enormous kodiak bear with a gentle heart and a knack for fishing. But when Katya must suddenly return home to Seattle, the two are torn apart, leaving Kodi to do whatever it takes to reunite with his fragile human friend. It's a wild journey packed with breathtaking views, brave new companions, and adventure around every turn.
Publisher: n/a
|
9781603094672
|
Paperback
Emmy in the Key of Code
By Lucido, Aimee
In this innovative middle grade novel, coding and music take center stage as new girl Emmy tries to find her place in a new school. Perfect for fans of the Girls Who Code series and The Crossover. In a new city, at a new school, twelve-year-old Emmy has never felt more out of tune. Things start to look up when she takes her first coding class, unexpectedly connecting with the material - and Abigail, a new friend - through a shared language: music. But when Emmy gets bad news about their computer teacher, and finds out Abigail isn't being entirely honest about their friendship, she feels like her new life is screeching to a halt. Despite these obstacles, Emmy is determined to prove one thing: that, for the first time ever, she isn't a wrong note, but a musician in the world's most beautiful symphony.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780358040828
|
Hardcover
Katie Cupcakes and Wedding Bells
By Simon, Coco
Katie is unpleasantly surprised to find out her family is moving into a new house after her mom's wedding in the latest addition to the Cupcake Diaries series.Katie's mom is getting married! Katie and her three best friends couldn't be happier and have so much fun pitching in with getting ready for the big day - especially with cake testing! But when Katie finds out her mom's marriage means her family has to move, suddenly the wedding isn't as joyous an occasion. What will life be like in a new home with a new family?
Publisher: n/a
|
9781534465374
|
Paperback
One Kid's Trash
By Sumner, Jamie
Hugo is not happy about being dragged halfway across the state of Colorado just because his dad had a midlife crisis and decided to become a ski instructor. It'd be different if Hugo weren't so tiny, if girls didn't think he was adorable like a puppy in a purse and guys didn't call him "leprechaun" and rub his head for luck. But here he is, the tiny new kid on his first day of middle school. When his fellow students discover his remarkable talent for garbology, the science of studying trash to tell you anything you could ever want to know about a person, Hugo becomes the cool kid for the first time in his life. But what happens when it all goes to his head?
Publisher: n/a
|
9781534457034
|
Hardcover
For Black Girls Like Me
By Lockington, Mariama J.
In this lyrical coming-of-age story about family, sisterhood, music, race, and identity, Mariama J. Lockington draws on some of the emotional truths from her own experiences growing up with an adoptive white family.I am a girl but most days I feel like a question mark.Makeda June Kirkland is eleven years old, adopted, and black. Her parents and big sister are white, and even though she loves her family very much, Makeda often feels left out. When Makeda's family moves from Maryland to New Mexico, she leaves behind her best friend, Lena -- the only other adopted black girl she knows -- for a new life. In New Mexico, everything is different. At home, Makeda's sister is too cool to hang out with her anymore and at school, she can't seem to find one real friend.Through it all, Makeda can't help but wonder: What would it feel like to grow up with a family that looks like me?Through singing, dreaming, and writing secret messages back and forth with Lena, Makeda might just carve a small place for herself in the world.For Black Girls Like Me is for anyone who has ever asked themselves: How do you figure out where you are going if you don't know where you came from?
Publisher: n/a
|
9780374308049
|
Hardcover
Not All Heroes
By Cameron, Josephine
Even though her family moved across the country for a "fresh start" after her little brother's death, eleven-year-old Zinnia Helinski still feels like she's stuck waiting for her new life to begin. Then she spots her new neighbor, Kris, climbing down the fire escape of their apartment building. He's wearing a black eye mask! And Spandex leggings. . . . And a blue body suit?Soon Zinnia finds herself in a secret club for kids who want to be heroes. The Reality Shifters don't have superpowers, but they do have the power to make positive change in their neighborhoods. And a change is just what Zinnia is looking for!At first, she feels invincible. Zinnia finally has friends and is on the kind of real-life adventures her little brother, Wally, would have loved.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780374314439
|
Hardcover
Ruby in the Sky
By Ferruolo, Jeanne Zulick
Twelve-year-old Ruby Moon Hayes does not want her new classmates to ask about her father. She does not want them to know her mother has been arrested. And she definitely does not want to make any friends. Ruby just wants to stay as silent and invisible as a new moon in the frozen sky. She and her mother won't be staying long in Vermont anyway, and then things can go back to the way they were before everything went wrong.But keeping to herself isn't easy when Ahmad Saleem, a Syrian refugee, decides he's her new best friend. Or when she meets "the Bird Lady," a recluse named Abigail who lives in a ramshackle shed near Ruby's house.? Before long Ahmad and Abigail have become Ruby's friends -- and she realizes there is more to their stories than everyone knows.As ugly rumors begin to swirl around the people Ruby loves, she must make a choice: break her silence, or risk losing everything that's come to mean so much to her. Ruby in the Sky is a story of the walls we hide behind, and the magic that can happen when we're brave enough to break free.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780374309053
|
Hardcover
The Becket List
By Griffin, Adele
Adventure anddiscover with the bold and intrepid Becket Branch when her family's move from city to a country farm means big changes! Everything is changing for Becket Branch. From subways to sidewalks to safety rules, Becket is a city kid born and raised. Now the Branch family is trading urban bustle for big green fields and moving to Gran's farm, where Becket has to make sense of new routines from feeding animals to baling hay. And as much as Becket loves to yell "Beautiful Alert!" there's a lot about the countryside that is just plain odd. But Becket is ready to put her own spin on country life. Whether selling her mouth-puckering lemonade, feeding hostile hens, or trying to make a best friend of her new neighbor Frieda Franca, Becket is determined to use her city smarts to get a grip on farm living. Laugh and learn with Becket as she mucks through the messy, exuberant human experience of change she didn't ask for, in a story that sparkles with quirky characters and lasting connections.
Publisher: n/a
|
9781616207908
|
Hardcover
Right as Rain
By Stoddard, Lindsey
From the critically acclaimed author of Just Like Jackie comes a strikingly tender novel about one family's heartbreak and the compassion that carries them through, perfect for fans of Sara Pennypacker, Lisa Graff, and Ann M. Martin.It's been almost a year since Rain's brother Guthrie died, and her parents still don't know it was all Rain's fault. In fact, no one does - Rain buried her secret deep, no matter how heavy it weighs on her heart.So when her mom suggests moving the family from Vermont to New York City, Rain agrees. But life in the big city is different. She's never seen so many people in one place - or felt more like an outsider.With her parents fighting more than ever and the anniversary of Guthrie's death approaching, Rain is determined to keep her big secret close to her heart. But even she knows that when you bury things deep, they grow up twice as tall.Readers will fall in love with the pluck and warmth of Stoddard's latest heroine and the strength that even a small heart can lend.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780062652942
|
Hardcover
The Secret Battle of Evan Pao
By Shang, Wendy Wan-long
Middle school can be a battlefield... From award-winning author Wendy Wan-Long Shang comes a poignant and timely take on prejudice, bullying, and claiming our own histories, perfect for fans of Front Desk.A fresh start. That's all Evan Pao wants as he, along with his mother and sister, flee from California to Haddington, Virginia, hoping to keep his father's notoriety a secret. But Haddington is a southern town steeped in tradition, and moving to a town immersed in the past has its own price. Although Evan quickly makes friends, one boy, Brady Griggs, seems determined to make sure that as a Chinese American, Evan feels that he does not belong. When Evan finds a unique way to make himself part of the school's annual Civil War celebration, the reaction is swift and violent.
Publisher: n/a
|
9781338678857
|
Hardcover
Genesis Begins Again
By Williams, Alicia D.
This deeply sensitive and powerful debut novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself.There are ninety-six things Genesis hates about herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list. Like #95: Because her skin is so dark, people call her charcoal and eggplant - even her own family. And #61: Because her family is always being put out of their house, belongings laid out on the sidewalk for the world to see. When your dad is a gambling addict and loses the rent money every month, eviction is a regular occurrence. What's not so regular is that this time they all don't have a place to crash, so Genesis and her mom have to stay with her grandma.
When Clouds Touch Us
By Lai, ThanhhÃ
Inspired by the author's own childhood, this stunning novel in verse, sequel to the award-winning #1 bestseller Inside Out and Back Again, picks up two years after Hà and her family arrive in Alabama as refugees from the Việt Nam War.Hà and her family have worked hard to make a life for themselves in the US, but it hasn't come easy. Hà has only just started to feel settled when Mother decides that the family will move to Texas for a new job. Hà knows how hard starting over is and doesn't want to have to do it again. But sometimes even an unwanted change can bring opportunity, new friends, and a place to call home. This lyrical and compelling sequel to the National Book Award Medalist and Newbery Honor winning, #1 New York Times bestselling novel Inside Out and Back Again follows Hà and her family through another year of upheaval, growth, and love.
Clouds over California
By Parsons, Karyn
My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich meets One Crazy Summer in this moving and heartfelt novel about how one girl's family and friendships are turned upside down, just as the world is changing in 1970s Los Angeles - from the author of the highly acclaimed How High the Moon.. Stevie's life is fluctuating rapidly. She's starting over in a brand new middle school. Quiet and observant, it's hard for her to make friends. Plus, her mind is too occupied. The tension in her home is building as her parents' arguments are becoming more frequent. To top it all off, Stevie's older cousin Naomi is coming to live with the family in an attempt to keep her from a "bad" crowd - The Black Panthers.. Stevie agrees to keep Naomi's secrets. She's the cool big cousin, after all, and Stevie can't help but notice the happy, positive effect the Black Panthers are having on Naomi's confidence and identity - just like how Mom is making decisions for herself, even when Dad disapproves.
The Journal of Anxious Izzy Parker
By Fullerton, Alma
Eight-year-old Izzy Parker's biggest problem is feeling anxious and afraid. Her mom's decision to move them across the country to Prince Edward Island didn't help. Izzy worries she will say the wrong thing or laugh at the wrong time, and none of the kids will want to be her friend. Sometimes, it's so hard to be Izzy that she can't breathe.In her honest, awkward, and anxious journal, Izzy writes down the story of her life and how she is trying to be a little less afraid. The good news: things might not be as bad as they seem. Even better? They will soon have a small, furry new family member -- an emotional support dog named Gandalf!
Simon Sort of Says
By Bow, Erin
For fans of Kate DiCamillo and Jack Gantos, a hilarious, wrenching, hopeful novel about finding your friends, healing your heart, and speaking your truth.Simon O'Keeffe's biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. Or maybe the alpaca disaster that went viral on YouTube. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he'd do anything to forget: the story in which he's the only kid in his class who survived a school shooting. Two years after the infamous event, twelve-year-old Simon and his family move to the National Quiet Zone -- the only place in America where the internet is banned. Instead of talking about Simon, the astronomers who flock to the area are busy listening for signs of life in space.
Not Quite a Ghost
By Ursu, Anne
From the award-winning author of The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy comes an unforgettable and deeply personal story of the ghosts that surround us - and the ones we carry inside.The house seemed to sit apart from the others on Katydid Street, silent and alone, like it didn't fit among them. For Violet Hart - whose family is about to move into the house on Katydid Street - very little felt like it fit anymore. Like their old home, suddenly too small since her mother remarried and the new baby arrived. Or Violet's group of friends, which, since they started middle school, isn't enough for Violet's best friend, Paige. Everything seemed to be changing at once. But sometimes, Violet tells herself, change is okay.That is, until Violet sees her new room.
The Year I Flew Away
By Arnold, Marie
It's 1985 and ten-year-old Gabrielle is excited to be moving from Haiti to America. Unfortunately, her parents won't be able to join her yet and she'll be living in a place called Brooklyn, New York, with relatives she has never met. She promises her parents that she will behave, but life proves to be difficult in the United States, from learning the language to always feeling like she doesn't fit in to being bullied. So when a witch offers her a chance to speak English perfectly and be "American," she makes the deal. But soon she realizes how much she has given up by trying to fit in and, along with her two new friends (one of them a talking rat) , takes on the witch in an epic battle to try to reverse the spell. Gabrielle is a funny and engaging heroine you won't soon forget in this sweet and lyrical novel that's perfect for fans of Hurricane Child and Front Desk.
The House That Wasn't There
By Arnold, Elana K.
Award-winning author Elana K. Arnold returns with an unforgettable story of the strange, wondrous threads that run between all of us, whether we know they're there or not. Alder has always lived in his cozy little house in Southern California. And for as long as he can remember, the old, reliable, comforting walnut tree has stood between his house and the one next door. That is, until a new family - with a particularly annoying girl his age - moves into the neighboring house and, without warning, cuts it down. Oak doesn't understand why her family had to move to Southern California. She has to attend a new school, find new friends, and live in a new house that isn't even ready - her mother had to cut down a tree on their property line in order to make room for a second floor.
The Turtle of Michigan
By Nye, Naomi Shihab
Aref is excited for his journey to reunite with his father in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Aref makes a friend on an airplane, wonders what Michigan will be like, and starts school in the United States. While he does miss his grandfather, his Sidi, Aref knows that his home in Oman will always be waiting for him. Award-winning author Naomi Shihab Nye’s highly anticipated sequel to The Turtle of Oman explores immigration, family, and what it means to feel at home. Carrying a suitcase and memories of Oman, Aref experiences the excitement and nervousness that accompanies moving to a new home. The Turtle of Michigan is a great choice for reading aloud and a must-have for younger middle grade readers.
A Song Called Home
By Zarr, Sara
From award-winning author Sara Zarr comes a story of the small moments that show us who we are, and how family is not just something you're part of, but something you make.Lou and her family don't have much, but for Lou it's enough. Mom. Her sister, Casey. Their apartment in the city. Her best friend, Beth. It would be better if Dad could stop drinking and be there for her and Casey, and if they didn't have to worry about money all the time. But Lou doesn't need better - she only needs enough.What's enough for Lou, however, is not enough for Mom. Steve, Mom's boyfriend, isn't a bad guy, he's just ... not what Lou is used to. And now, he and Mom are getting married, and that means moving. Packing up life as they've known it and storing it in Steve's garage.
Long Lost
By West, Jacqueline
Once there were two sisters who did everything together. But only one of them disappeared. New York Times-bestselling author Jacqueline West's Long Lost is an atmospheric, eerie mystery brimming with suspense. Fans of Katherine Arden's Small Spaces and Victoria Schwab's City of Ghosts series will lose themselves in this mesmerizing and century-spanning tale.Eleven-year-old Fiona has just read a book that doesn't exist.When Fiona's family moves to a new town to be closer to her older sister's figure skating club - and far from Fiona's close-knit group of friends - nobody seems to notice Fiona's unhappiness. Alone and out of place, Fiona ventures to the town's library, a rambling mansion donated by a long-dead heiress. And there she finds a gripping mystery novel about a small town, family secrets, and a tragic disappearance.
The Many Meanings of Meilan
By Wang, Andrea
Meilan Hua's world is made up of a few key ingredients: her family's beloved matriarch, Nai Nai; the bakery her parents, aunts, and uncles own and run in Boston's Chinatown; and her favorite Chinese fairy tales. After Nai Nai passes, the family has a falling-out that sends Meilan, her parents, and her grieving grandfather on the road in search of a new home. They take a winding path across the country before landing in Redbud, Ohio. Everything in Redbud is the opposite of Chinatown, and Meilan's not quite sure who she is--being renamed at school only makes it worse. She decides she is many Meilans, each inspired by a different Chinese character with the same pronunciation as her name. Sometimes she is Mist, cooling and invisible; other times, she's Basket, carrying her parents' hopes and dreams and her guilt of not living up to them; and occasionally she is bright Blue, the way she feels around her new friend Logan.
The International House of Dereliction
By Davies, Jacqueline
In this not-so-scary ghost story from Jacqueline Davies, bestselling author of the Lemonade War series, quirky, tool-wielding Alice Cannoli-Potchnik begins to repair the dilapidated mansion next door - only to discover the old house is home to ghosts, and they need mending, too!Ho
Leaving Lymon
By Cline-ransome, Lesa
A companion novel to Finding Langston, recipient of a Coretta Scott King Writing Honor and winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Behind every bad boy is a story worth hearing and at least one chance for redemption. It's 1946 and Lymon, uprooted from his life in the Deep South and moved up North, needs that chance. Lymon's father is, for the time being, at Parchman Farm--the Mississippi State Penitentiary--and his mother, whom he doesn't remember all that much, has moved North. Fortunately, Lymon is being raised by his loving grandparents. Together, Lymon and his grandpops share a love of music, spending late summer nights playing the guitar. But Lymon's world as he knows it is about to dissolve. He will be sent on a journey to two Northern cities far from the country life he loves--and the version of himself he knows.
Kodi
By Cullum, Jared
The gorgeous story of two friends separated by everything in the world -- except love. Readers and animal-lovers of every age will want to relive this journey over and over again.Katya and her Meema are spending another summer at their cottage in Alaska, when a chance accident leaves Katya face-to-face with the biggest creature she's ever seen... an enormous kodiak bear with a gentle heart and a knack for fishing. But when Katya must suddenly return home to Seattle, the two are torn apart, leaving Kodi to do whatever it takes to reunite with his fragile human friend. It's a wild journey packed with breathtaking views, brave new companions, and adventure around every turn.
Emmy in the Key of Code
By Lucido, Aimee
In this innovative middle grade novel, coding and music take center stage as new girl Emmy tries to find her place in a new school. Perfect for fans of the Girls Who Code series and The Crossover. In a new city, at a new school, twelve-year-old Emmy has never felt more out of tune. Things start to look up when she takes her first coding class, unexpectedly connecting with the material - and Abigail, a new friend - through a shared language: music. But when Emmy gets bad news about their computer teacher, and finds out Abigail isn't being entirely honest about their friendship, she feels like her new life is screeching to a halt. Despite these obstacles, Emmy is determined to prove one thing: that, for the first time ever, she isn't a wrong note, but a musician in the world's most beautiful symphony.
Katie Cupcakes and Wedding Bells
By Simon, Coco
Katie is unpleasantly surprised to find out her family is moving into a new house after her mom's wedding in the latest addition to the Cupcake Diaries series.Katie's mom is getting married! Katie and her three best friends couldn't be happier and have so much fun pitching in with getting ready for the big day - especially with cake testing! But when Katie finds out her mom's marriage means her family has to move, suddenly the wedding isn't as joyous an occasion. What will life be like in a new home with a new family?
One Kid's Trash
By Sumner, Jamie
Hugo is not happy about being dragged halfway across the state of Colorado just because his dad had a midlife crisis and decided to become a ski instructor. It'd be different if Hugo weren't so tiny, if girls didn't think he was adorable like a puppy in a purse and guys didn't call him "leprechaun" and rub his head for luck. But here he is, the tiny new kid on his first day of middle school. When his fellow students discover his remarkable talent for garbology, the science of studying trash to tell you anything you could ever want to know about a person, Hugo becomes the cool kid for the first time in his life. But what happens when it all goes to his head?
For Black Girls Like Me
By Lockington, Mariama J.
In this lyrical coming-of-age story about family, sisterhood, music, race, and identity, Mariama J. Lockington draws on some of the emotional truths from her own experiences growing up with an adoptive white family.I am a girl but most days I feel like a question mark.Makeda June Kirkland is eleven years old, adopted, and black. Her parents and big sister are white, and even though she loves her family very much, Makeda often feels left out. When Makeda's family moves from Maryland to New Mexico, she leaves behind her best friend, Lena -- the only other adopted black girl she knows -- for a new life. In New Mexico, everything is different. At home, Makeda's sister is too cool to hang out with her anymore and at school, she can't seem to find one real friend.Through it all, Makeda can't help but wonder: What would it feel like to grow up with a family that looks like me?Through singing, dreaming, and writing secret messages back and forth with Lena, Makeda might just carve a small place for herself in the world.For Black Girls Like Me is for anyone who has ever asked themselves: How do you figure out where you are going if you don't know where you came from?
Not All Heroes
By Cameron, Josephine
Even though her family moved across the country for a "fresh start" after her little brother's death, eleven-year-old Zinnia Helinski still feels like she's stuck waiting for her new life to begin. Then she spots her new neighbor, Kris, climbing down the fire escape of their apartment building. He's wearing a black eye mask! And Spandex leggings. . . . And a blue body suit?Soon Zinnia finds herself in a secret club for kids who want to be heroes. The Reality Shifters don't have superpowers, but they do have the power to make positive change in their neighborhoods. And a change is just what Zinnia is looking for!At first, she feels invincible. Zinnia finally has friends and is on the kind of real-life adventures her little brother, Wally, would have loved.
Ruby in the Sky
By Ferruolo, Jeanne Zulick
Twelve-year-old Ruby Moon Hayes does not want her new classmates to ask about her father. She does not want them to know her mother has been arrested. And she definitely does not want to make any friends. Ruby just wants to stay as silent and invisible as a new moon in the frozen sky. She and her mother won't be staying long in Vermont anyway, and then things can go back to the way they were before everything went wrong.But keeping to herself isn't easy when Ahmad Saleem, a Syrian refugee, decides he's her new best friend. Or when she meets "the Bird Lady," a recluse named Abigail who lives in a ramshackle shed near Ruby's house.? Before long Ahmad and Abigail have become Ruby's friends -- and she realizes there is more to their stories than everyone knows.As ugly rumors begin to swirl around the people Ruby loves, she must make a choice: break her silence, or risk losing everything that's come to mean so much to her. Ruby in the Sky is a story of the walls we hide behind, and the magic that can happen when we're brave enough to break free.
The Becket List
By Griffin, Adele
Adventure and discover with the bold and intrepid Becket Branch when her family's move from city to a country farm means big changes! Everything is changing for Becket Branch. From subways to sidewalks to safety rules, Becket is a city kid born and raised. Now the Branch family is trading urban bustle for big green fields and moving to Gran's farm, where Becket has to make sense of new routines from feeding animals to baling hay. And as much as Becket loves to yell "Beautiful Alert!" there's a lot about the countryside that is just plain odd. But Becket is ready to put her own spin on country life. Whether selling her mouth-puckering lemonade, feeding hostile hens, or trying to make a best friend of her new neighbor Frieda Franca, Becket is determined to use her city smarts to get a grip on farm living. Laugh and learn with Becket as she mucks through the messy, exuberant human experience of change she didn't ask for, in a story that sparkles with quirky characters and lasting connections.
Right as Rain
By Stoddard, Lindsey
From the critically acclaimed author of Just Like Jackie comes a strikingly tender novel about one family's heartbreak and the compassion that carries them through, perfect for fans of Sara Pennypacker, Lisa Graff, and Ann M. Martin.It's been almost a year since Rain's brother Guthrie died, and her parents still don't know it was all Rain's fault. In fact, no one does - Rain buried her secret deep, no matter how heavy it weighs on her heart.So when her mom suggests moving the family from Vermont to New York City, Rain agrees. But life in the big city is different. She's never seen so many people in one place - or felt more like an outsider.With her parents fighting more than ever and the anniversary of Guthrie's death approaching, Rain is determined to keep her big secret close to her heart. But even she knows that when you bury things deep, they grow up twice as tall.Readers will fall in love with the pluck and warmth of Stoddard's latest heroine and the strength that even a small heart can lend.
The Secret Battle of Evan Pao
By Shang, Wendy Wan-long
Middle school can be a battlefield... From award-winning author Wendy Wan-Long Shang comes a poignant and timely take on prejudice, bullying, and claiming our own histories, perfect for fans of Front Desk.A fresh start. That's all Evan Pao wants as he, along with his mother and sister, flee from California to Haddington, Virginia, hoping to keep his father's notoriety a secret. But Haddington is a southern town steeped in tradition, and moving to a town immersed in the past has its own price. Although Evan quickly makes friends, one boy, Brady Griggs, seems determined to make sure that as a Chinese American, Evan feels that he does not belong. When Evan finds a unique way to make himself part of the school's annual Civil War celebration, the reaction is swift and violent.
Genesis Begins Again
By Williams, Alicia D.
This deeply sensitive and powerful debut novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself.There are ninety-six things Genesis hates about herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list. Like #95: Because her skin is so dark, people call her charcoal and eggplant - even her own family. And #61: Because her family is always being put out of their house, belongings laid out on the sidewalk for the world to see. When your dad is a gambling addict and loses the rent money every month, eviction is a regular occurrence. What's not so regular is that this time they all don't have a place to crash, so Genesis and her mom have to stay with her grandma.